DEFINITION
Choroidal melanoma is a cancer of the eye that develops in a part of the eye called the choroid, the spongelike membrane that lies between the sclera (the white of the eye) and the retina. The choroid is rich in blood vessels and supplies nutrients to the retina, the light-sensitive back of the eye that sends visual information to the brain. Although choroidal melanoma is a rare form of cancer, it is the most common cancer that develops in the eye in adults.
CLINICAL SYMPTOMS
This cancer often doesn’t cause any symptoms in its early stages, so the tumor may grow for some time before the problem becomes noticeable. When symptoms occur, they include blurred vision, floaters, flashing lights, or severe eye pain. These symptoms also can be caused by many other, more common, noncancerous causes.
BIOMEDICAL ASPECT
Biomedical Aspect of disease involves proper diagnosis of disease after knowing the symptoms. After the definition of problem aspect of Biomedical Engineering plays a very important role
Most cases of choroidal melanoma are detected during a routine, dilated eye exam, in which an ophthalmologist dilates the pupils to examine the back of the eye. Most of the time, no other tests are needed. Specialized tests can help make the diagnosis more certain. They include:
- Echography. A small probe placed on the eye, directs sound waves toward the tumor and records the pattern as the waves reflect off the tumor.
- Fluorescein angiography. A fluorescent dye is injected into a vein in the arm, and a rapid sequence of photographs is taken through the pupil as the dye passes through the veins in the back of the eye.
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Echography
Fluorescein angiography
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- Ophthalmoscopy – All Information (umm.edu)
